


The Day She Was Born

by ThatStupidDeer



Series: Tales of the Reef [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life, The Reef
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 03:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14608752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatStupidDeer/pseuds/ThatStupidDeer
Summary: Mira and Ronja first meet in their early years; Mira is still a toddler, and Ronja is little more than a newborn. Neither of them truly remember the day, but the effect it has left on them is undeniable.Mira and Ronja's first ever meeting, and a side of Queen Mara very few get to see.





	The Day She Was Born

It is the earliest Mira has ever been awake in her short life, and she makes it very clear to her mothers that she wishes that she were still in bed. Her complaints fall on deaf ears, neither of her parents paying much mind to the toddlers whining. She isn’t even hushed when her whines grow a little louder, hoping it would gain some attention from her mothers, but she isn’t even given a look by either mother. But their ignoring the child does the trick, and she falls quiet after nearly an hour of whining, and bordering on a tantrum to be allowed to go back to bed.

“Mama… I’m tired…” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes in one last bid to garner her mother’s attention. This time, however, she is hushed, the sound soft and gentle. Mira blinks up at her mother, her eyes heavy with sleep and only just making out the expression on her face. She’s… happy? Or so she thinks she is. The expression is muted, but amber eyes are shining brighter than usual, and Mira thinks they should all be as tired and dull as her at this time. Whatever time it may be.

“I know you are, love, but we have to pay a friend a visit. Did you hear us talking earlier?” her mother asks. Mira shakes her head. She hadn’t heard any conversation, or anything that she can remember, and with how tired she is, her mothers could have been talking about the Reef falling apart, and she would have been none the wiser. This makes her mother laugh, the sound soft and breathy. Now, Mira knows for sure that her mother is happy. She only laughs like that when she’s happy, and trying to contain it.

“Well… this friend has just had a baby. The baby was sick, but now she’s doing much better, and we’re going to go see them. Welcome the little one into the world,” she explains, the slight smile on her lips reaching her eyes and making the corners wrinkle.

“Okay… but why do I have to come? It’s so early, Mama…” Mira sighs in reply, not excited about the prospect of leaving home so early. Why can’t they just wait until later in the day to go? She’s certain the friend and her new baby would still be there.

“If we could, we would leave you with a sitter, but… it’s too early to call anyone here so suddenly. You’ll have to come with us, and then when we get home from the visit, you can have a nap, alright?” Her mother’s tone is sympathetic and gentle, and by now, all the fight has left Mira.

“Okay… I guess,” she says, all but exhaling the words in her sleepy state. “Do I have to get dressed?”

Another soft laugh from her mother. “No… you don’t need to get dressed for this, dear. I don’t think anyone will mind.”

It’s then that her other mother comes to see where her wife and daughter are. She scoops Mira up with a playful growl, which draws a squeal from the toddler, before dissolving into a fit of giggles. She settles into her other mother’s arms, closing her eyes to let them rest.

“Don’t let her sleep, Inali…” her mother says with a sigh, and she feels her hand on her forehead, meant to rouse her. Inali clicks her tongue, and Mira feels her brush her mother’s hand away.

“She’s fine, love. She can sleep until we get there. It’s the least we can let her do since we’ve gotten her out of bed so early,” Inali says, her voice a low whisper.

“But–”

“Frigga. Let her sleep. She’s four.”

“Alright, alright… Let’s get going then.”

As Inali begins to follow after her wife, the gentle rocking motion of her stride is more than enough to put Mira to sleep, and the toddler is out within seconds of them leaving the house. Her short rest is peaceful, and just what she needs to not be horrid and cranky during their visit.

But she will always be a bit bitter when she’s woken from sleep. She’s already forgotten that she’s not at home, and lets out a loud whine at her mother who is tapping her cheek to rouse her from her nap. The noise is cut off, though, as Inali covers her mouth to quiet her, and hushes her to try and keep her from letting out too much noise. 

“You need to be quiet now, Mira,” Inali says, keeping her hand over the child’s mouth in case she decides to throw a fit, which Mira is contemplating. “The baby is sleeping, and her mum is tired. We don’t want to disturb them too much. Alright?”

Mira is still and silent as she lets her mother’s words process, and then finally nods in understanding. She can be quiet for a few minutes if she needs to. Getting to go to bed once this is all over is a good enough reward for her to do as her mother asks.

“Good.” Inali draws her hand away, and then lowers Mira to the ground so that she can walk alongside her, or duck behind her if she becomes shy. She reaches for Inali’s hand, and she takes it without hesitation as Frigga steps ahead of them to knock on the door to let anyone inside know that they were there, and silently asking for permission to enter.

Mira is only now just beginning to comprehend where they are. Or… where they aren’t. This isn’t a place she recognizes, and it isn’t anything like the homes of her friends or her aunt’s home. This place is… much grander. 

She looks down the hall from where they stand, and it reaches as far as the eye can see, so far that she can’t even make out the wall at the very end. The walls are the usual deep purple and grey that make up much of the Reef, but the floor does not feel like the usual metal she’s so used to. It feels soft under her feet, even through the shoes she’s wearing. She reaches down to touch it, and it… isn’t as soft as she thought, but still not metal. It’s red, but not bright. It doesn’t make her eyes water to look at, but not so dark that she can’t tell it’s red. She straightens up and looks elsewhere, trying to identify just where her mothers have taken her, but there are so few hints. Nothing on the walls, nothing on the ceiling above, nothing to tell her who this place belongs to. Whoever it is, though, they must be important. 

A chattering sound at the end of the hall yanks her out of her confusion, and she peers around her mother to look down the opposite side of the hall. This is shorter, and she can see the wall and the bend that leads further out into… wherever they are. But she doesn’t see the source of the noise, but it is something that leaves her a bit uneasy. 

“Ma?” she says, her voice just above a whisper. Inali glances down to her daughter, and follows her gaze towards the end of the hall. A shadow is cast across the wall, in a shape that Mira is not familiar with. Inali squeezes her hand to reassure her. 

“It’s alright, dear. It’s just a guard. They’re making sure no one disturbs us while we see the baby,” she says, lowering herself down to Mira’s level and keeping her voice down. Mira tears her wide, glowing eyes from the shadow to look at her mother, looking for any sign of uncertainty in her expression.

“Okay… but why is there a guard here…?” she asks.

Inali is about to answer, but the door is opened to allow the little family inside. Mira is all but rooted to the spot as Inali rises and steps into the room after her wife, and it takes a moment to pull her back into the now and get the little girl into the room. She does relax, though, once the sight of the shadow is no longer there, and as it so often is with little children, the fear leaves her as her focus turns elsewhere.

And that is on the man that is standing a few feet from her other mother. They are conversing in low voices, too quiet for Mira to hear, but she is more focused on the man himself. She tucks herself behind Inali, peering around her leg to watch him. She knows who he is, and she isn’t so sure on how to react to being in the same room as him.

“Why is the Prince here, Ma?” she asks in a hushed tone, looking up at Inali with questioning eyes. “Are we in trouble? Is that why there’s a guard outside?”

“What? No. No, we’re not in trouble. He’s visiting too, but he’ll leave us be once he and Mama are done talking. Okay?” Inali says, perking a brow at the girl’s sudden worry. She gives Mira’s hand a squeeze to reassure her once more. Mira doesn’t seem all that convinced, but she doesn’t argue with her mother. She remains where she is, tucked behind Inali’s leg.

“I will leave you to speak with her in private,” Prince Uldren says, his voice becoming just loud enough that all in the room will hear it, but not so loud to be disruptive. He offers a shallow bow to Frigga, and then to Inali. At first, he doesn’t seem to take notice of Mira, but as he passes her and Inali, he offers the girl an uncharacteristic, but brief, smile, before stepping out of the room to leave the family be.

Frigga is the first to walk further in, turning a small corner into a more private part of the room, and Mira hears her mother gasp with what sounds like delight. She can hear talking too, but it’s quiet, and she can’t make out the words, or who happens to be speaking. She’s apprehensive to move from where she’s hidden herself behind Inali, but with a bit of coaxing, the pair follow Frigga.

“Oh, she’s beautiful, Your Grace…” Frigga says, her tone one of wonder. She’s standing next to a large, plush chair, where the Queen of the Reef herself sits. The Queen is tired, with messy hair and dark circles under her eyes, and is dressed for comfort in a pair of black lounge pants, a loose fitting grey tank top; it’s a look so unfamiliar to Mira that she doesn’t recognize the woman until her mother uses the honorific to speak to her. When it does truly register, Mira’s jaw drops, and she looks up to Inali with wide eyes.

“Ma–”

“Shhh, dear,” Inali hushes. “You need to keep your voice down.”

“But, Ma! Is that really–” She’s cut off by Inali covering her mouth and shushing her again. The talking and shushing has drawn in the attention of Frigga and the Queen, and Mira notices some surprise in the Queen’s tired eyes.

“Sorry, Your Grace. Mira’s just a little excited,” Inali says, keeping her hand where it is to make sure Mira doesn’t keep up her talking. Were there not a sleeping baby in the room, Inali would have allowed the girl to get excited, but the last thing the Queen needs is her new daughter to kick up a fuss because she’s been woken up.

“It’s quite alright. Everything is still new to her,” Mara says, waving off the apology. “And enough with the honorifics. You two are my friends, and we are far from my court.”

Mira’s eyes are drawn down by the movement Mara makes with her arm, the slight sweeping motion as she tries to brush away all the formalities, and it’s then that she catches sight of the new baby in her arms. The little girl is tiny, smaller than she thought she would be. Mira has never seen a baby in her life until this moment, at least not in real life, and she had thought the little one would be bigger than that.

Inali has dropped her hand from Mira’s mouth, but the girl remains quiet, all of her focus on the little baby in the Queen’s arms. Without much thought, she steps around her mother, and walks up to where Mara sits. She stops in front of her, and rises on her tiptoes, wanting a closer look at the baby.

“Mira!” Frigga says, reaching to pull her back and away from the Queen and her child. “I’m sorry, Mara–”

“She’s fine,” Mara says, reaching out to grasp Frigga’s arm. Frigga frowns, but releases Mira. The girl looks to her mother, and then to Mara, then to the baby where her eyes linger. Her head tilts, and there’s a look of great curiosity within her gaze.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a baby, Mira?” Mara asks. Her voice snaps Mira out of her trance, and her eyes lift to the Queen’s face. A pause, and then she nods to answer Mara in silence.

“Can I see her?” Mira asks.

“Mira–” she hears Frigga say.

“Of course, little one,” Mara says, patting the open space next to her. There is more than enough room for Mira to climb up and take a seat next to her, without crowding her or the baby. It’s a bit of a climb for the four-year-old, though, so Inali plucks her up before she can even attempt to pull herself up into the seat, and sets her down as careful as she can.

Mira leans over to look at the baby that’s fast asleep against Mara’s chest. The baby looks delicate as a porcelain doll, and she can only just see the slight rise and fall of the child’s chest that tells her that this little thing is alive, and not just a toy or a model. Despite being so new, she has a full head of white hair, the very same shade as Mara’s. Her skin is a similar pale blue, but just a bit darker, and there’s a dullness to it, a lack of the light that shines and shimmers beneath every Awoken’s skin. Mira looks down at one of her hands, taking note of the light that shimmers there, and then to her mother, and to Mara. Both the adults have much more visible light beneath their skin so… perhaps the baby is dull because she’s so new and young.

The little one makes a soft noise, not quite a whine, not quite a grunt, but something in between. Her head turns from facing away Mira to facing her, and her eyes open. They are a pale blue, like her mother’s, and the glow within them is so dull that Mira isn’t even sure if it’s there. The longer her eyes remain open, the brighter her become, though it’s still duller than any of the adults in the room, or even her own.

“Hi,” she says to the baby, leaning in a little more. The baby blinks back at her, staring with bright, curious eyes. The almost silent interaction draws a soft chuckle from the Queen, and one of her hands raise to cup the baby’s head, offering some comfort while the little one takes in the new sights around her.

Mira smiles at the baby, and then holds out a finger to the little one. She hooks that finger under the tiny fist of the baby, and she feels the vice grip clamp down on her right away. She giggles, impressed with the little one’s strength, and she moves her hand in little circles to see how long the baby will hold on for.

“What’s her name?” Mira asks once she’s able to free her hand from the baby’s grasp. Mara has drawn the baby’s attention to her, and she let go to grasp at her mother instead, allowing Mira to take her hand back. The toddler leans over again, this time perching her chin upon Mara’s shoulder so that she can look down towards the baby. She’s all but forgotten just who she’s sitting with, and neither her parents nor Mara herself seem interested in reminding her.

“Ronja,” Mara replies. “Her name is Ronja.”

“Ronja,” Mira repeats. She thinks it’s a good name, one that rolls off the tongue. And fitting for a little princess. She holds her hand out to the baby, coaxing her into grabbing her finger again. “Hello, Ronja. I’m Mira. I know you’re still small, but I think we’ll be good friends once you’re big like me.”


End file.
